Eat Outs: Boom at Gunpowder House, Antigua

Hey Guys!

I finally made it to one of the places I listed on my 2018 Summer Bucket List! I’ve been eyeing this place for quite awhile, but I always thought it’d be crazy expensive given the location. However, this particular weekend it really was a YOLO moment so I went for it. Keep reading to see if I made the right choice 😏

LOCATION + VIBE

A sister to Pillars Restaurant at historic Admiral’s Inn, Boom Restaurant is located in English Harbour across from Nelson’s Dockyard. There’s a complimentary boat service from Nelson’s Dockyard to the restaurant or you can also use the road access. The drive from where I live is around 30-45 minutes, as it’s from one end of the island to the next.

As for the vibe, the restaurant is located outdoors on a deck, with an infinity-edged pool and several cabanas on the terrace. The use of these amenities are also free of charge once you are dining at the restaurant. You can enjoy lunch or an early dinner with the scenic views of the harbour, including many yachts and other restaurants or buildings.

Since we had a rather large party (6 persons), we called to make a reservation the previous day. When we arrived the waitresses were extremely welcoming and helpful in serving us.

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THE MENU

So many optionssssss, I couldn’t choose! This was both for the drinks & food menu. There were specialty cocktails, frozen drinks and your regular spirits. In terms of food there was a variety of seafood options, but also something for the meat lovers.

STARTERS

As usual, we decided to order an assortment of starter options to share with the table. This gave each of us the opportunity to try different items, and they were SUPERB. From the menu we had tiger prawns, calamari (a must), shrimp cakes & bacon wrapped scallops. Out of the bunch, the best thing for me were the shrimp cakes and calamari. Everything was cooked to perfection and the varying sauces they were served with made a good match. (The passion fruit sauce with the shrimp cakes, sooo good).

The only thing I disliked was the risotto which came with the scallops, but that’s just a personal thing. I’ve never had risotto before but I’m not a fan of the texture (probably an acquired taste?). Oh, the tiger prawns weren’t as huge as I imagined but still good.

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THE MAINS

Majority of us went with sandwich options. I personally didn’t feel up for anything extremely heavy. Two particular sandwiches caught my eye, the steak and the lobster. I went with the latter and definitely made a great choice. Everything from the bread to the lobster salad was bomb. I had my sandwich served with sweet potato fries and they were just the right texture; crispy on the outside and melt in your mouth. It’s crazy how everything was so good right?!

Other options pictured above included the truffle aioli steak sandwich and jerk baby back ribs served with truffle/regular fries. Unfortunately I didn’t take note of the menu items to let you guys know exactly what was in everything.

To drink I settled on the Mango Mojito. I’m usually not a fan of mojitos due to the mint, but I went for it. After scooping out a bulk of the mint leaves it wasn’t bad. I just hate the bits getting stuck in my straw or in my mouth.

After eating we chilled in a cabana and hammock, took a couple of pictures and got a few more drinks. It was a great experience and I’d definitely return. We went on a Sunday and it was rather packed, with families and couples, but still a good time.

OVERALL

Food: 4.5/ 5
Drinks: 3.5/ 5
Service: 4/ 5
Venue: 5 / 5
Price: $$ – $$$

Scale:
1 – Awful (Would not return)
2 – Okayish (Only if there is no other option)
3 – Satisfied
4 – Good (Would return / Nicely setup)
5 – Awesome (One of my favorites)